The following organizations can provide you with information about self-help and support groups in your area:

• American Council of the Blind

Services: Countless numbers of blind and sighted people benefit from these and other ACB services:

• Toll-free information and referral on all aspects of blindness

• Scholarship assistance to blind/visually impaired post-secondary students

• Public education and awareness training

• Support to consumer advocates and legal assistance on matters relating to blindness

• Leadership and legislative training

• Consulting with industry regarding employment of blind and visually impaired individuals

• Governmental monitoring, consultation and advocacy including the "Washington Connection," a national legislative hotline

• Annual national convention

• American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy.

• Council of Citizens with Low Vision International

Local CCLVI affiliates are based in California, Delaware, New York, and Washington DC. For more information contact the head office in Washington DC (see below). You might also be interested in learning more about the CCLVI Journal, VISION ACCESS by, for, and about people with low vision.

• E.A.R.S. for EYES Program

Provides free self-study audiotapes that teach adaptive daily living skills to blind and visually impaired older adults. Subject areas include kitchen techniques, eating skills, indoor mobility and personal grooming.

• National Association for Visually Handicapped

• National Federation of the Blind

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance."

The NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters. The web site is a rich source of services, information, and products for independent living.